Fox has ordered a second season of Empire after airing just two episodes. Comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine and superhero drama Gotham have also been renewed. Fox announced the renewals on Saturday (17th January) at the Television Critics Association press tour in California.

Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard stars in Empire.

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Empire is a musical drama which centres on the owner of Empire Entertainment and his family. Terrence Howard stars as a drug dealer turned rap artist turned CEO in Empire which has already received largely positive reviews. Fox has only aired two episodes of Empire so far and has shocked many within the industry, as EW reports, by renewing the series so quickly. This may be in part due to the impressive ratings for the premiere episode and the highly unusual rise in ratings in the second episode.

There's already some discussion of the Empire cast and crew working with American Idol, which indicates the impact the show is already having on musical entertainment. According to ABC, the connection between the two cannot be ignored and there is the possibility of having some of the American Idol contestants appear in cameo roles on Empire.

The network picked up Gotham for a second series despite a slight decline in ratings. The drama, set in the Batman universe and starring Ben McKenzie, centres on the early career of Commissioner Gordon. The drama was Fox's top show for men aged 18-49 and women aged 18-34, according to THR. Comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the ratings of which have improved since moving to a Sunday night slot, has been picked up for a third season.

Read More: Empire: Can a Hip-Hop Soap Opera Really Work?

Ben McKenzie
Ben McKenzie stars in Gotham as James Gordon.